A self-proclaimed “huge leftist,” who worked as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University-Idaho, said the school failed to renew her contract for the upcoming school year after it got wind of a private post she made on Facebook in support of homosexuality.
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Ruthie Robertson, a 22-year-old Mormon, was an adjunct political science professor at BYU-Idaho, a private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). In honor of Pride Month, Robertson chose to post a lengthy statement on Facebook last month that she called her “official announcement and declaration” of solidarity with the LGBT community.
“In honor of LGBT Pride Month, I thought I would reveal some things in the name of authenticity,” Robertson’s post begins. “I’m currently a member of the LDS Church. This organization has openly and forcefully opposed same-sex relationships and legalized same-sex marriage.”
She goes on to argue that the Church’s position on homosexuality is based on a few “hateful verses” of the Old Testament that she says “never once mentions homosexuality.”
She then reiterates her support for the LGBTQ community and says homosexuality is “natural” and, therefore, not sinful:
This is my official announcement and declaration that I believe heterosexuality and homosexuality are both natural and neither is sinful. I will never support the phrase “love the sinner, hate the sin” because that “sin” is part of who that person is. Homosexuality and transgenderism are not sins; if God made us, and those are part of who we are.. then God created that as well. I realize that my views counter the current day policies of the LDS Church, but I hope that over time the Church will come to see the harm these policies have. Church History shows that the Church has rescinded policies before that weren’t doctrinal, and that weren’t inspired by the Lord. I hope that this will some day apply to the stance on the LGBT community. I will always and forever stand up for the equality of the LGBT community. Sexuality and gender are not binary, they are on a spectrum and that’s how we were made.
You can read the entire post HERE.
While her writing was only visible to friends, her opinions stand in stark contrast to the views of the church and BYU’s “Honor Code,” which forbids “homosexual behavior,” and someone shared her musings with the university.
“It’s a controversial position, of course, but I had no inclination that this [post] would affect my job,” Robertson told the Salt Lake Tribune. “That completely blew me away — that my job was on the line because of this.”
Robertson says that she was summoned to meet with school administrators in the days following the post, and she was told she could lose her job if she did not take it down. She refused, maintaining that this was shared in a private setting and not in the classroom. About a week later, Robertson remained defiant and was informed that her contract was terminated.
A spokesperson for the university confirmed that Robertson will not be returning in the fall but said the school “has a long standing policy of not commenting on personnel matters.”
The BYU grad, who had planned on pursuing a master’s degree at the university, told the Washington Post that she has faced backlash for her opinions—especially from her “very unsupportive” parents. Some commenters questioned why Robertson was so surprised to have been fired given that her beliefs are in opposition to those of her employer, while other’s thanked her for “speaking your heart.”
Though she admitted her life “kind of just turned upside down,” she said she does not regret sharing her beliefs.
“It was worth it,” Robertson said. “We all have to choose what side of history we’re going to be on. I made my decision, and I plan to stay on that side of history.”
(H/T: The Daily Wire)